A soothing, sweet reminder that sometimes, missing objects are right under your…tush.
A roly-poly penguin misplaces his favorite toy.
According to the to-do list tacked to the wall, the penguin has three very important responsibilities every day: fishing, chopping plenty of wood, and purchasing “sticky icky fish.” Through it all, the penguin has a constant companion by his side: Mikki Olsen, his beloved, bright pink bear. They are inseparable. But one day, a “sticky icky fish” accidentally gets stuck to Mikki Olsen. When the penguin sits on the toy, Mikki Olsen gets stuck to the penguin’s posterior, and his routine starts to unravel. The poor penguin searches everywhere for the missing plushie—in the sink, in a box of fish flakes, in the garbage can, between the pages of a book, and even in the riskiest place for a penguin to look: inside a whale’s mouth. Young readers will delight in pointing out the missing toy on every page as it unintentionally follows the penguin wherever he goes. A well-timed, defeated flop in the snow finally reveals Mikki Olsen’s hiding place. Spare text and uncluttered scenes (with fun details, such as the initials MO in a heart carved on trees in the background) provide a soothing backdrop for the penguin’s fretful search. Macdonald gives this predicament, which will be familiar to many young readers, a suitably reassuring ending.
A soothing, sweet reminder that sometimes, missing objects are right under your…tush. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780711285316
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
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